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Chad Garland, a reporter for the Cronkite News, sends us his story on Glen Lacroix. A simple google search of Lacroix’s name turns up plenty of heroic stories. Like the one we found below on ESPN, where he claims to heave met Pat Tillman, and that he was also involved in the rescue operation of Jessica Lynch:

Glen Lacroix and Pat Tillman were part of the team that rescued Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital, served under the same superior officer in the Army Rangers and once talked for seven hours at a military base in Afghanistan in 2004.

Lacroix was even wounded the same day Tillman was killed, shot about 30 miles away, so, yeah, he felt a connection to the most famous of Rangers.

“Unbelievable guy, awesome dude,” Lacroix said from his office at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “It was one of those things where it was what you see is what you get. There was no (nonsense).”

Lacroix is one of 171 Pat Tillman Military Scholars, a program developed by the Pat Tillman Foundation to help servicemen and family members earn degrees or complete certificate programs.

Originally set up to handle the influx of checks being sent to the Tillman family shortly after Pat’s death, the PTF expanded a few years later to pledge $1.25 million to the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State. Once that promise was fulfilled, the foundation shifted focus again, this time to help fill the financial gaps in the GI Bill.

PTF has awarded over $4.4 million since its inception seven years ago, $2.2 million going to the Tillman Military Scholars.

Lacroix was a good candidate.

He spent 13 years in the Army, including nine working human intelligence for Special Operations, followed by three more years in civil service intelligence.

Lacroix saw action in some of the most dangerous places in the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo, and spent part of his time as a sniper in war zones. He took shrapnel in Iraq and was shot twice in Afghanistan, including April 22, 2004, the day Tillman was killed.

Upon returning to school in 2009, four years after receiving a medical discharge, he had a hard time adjusting to campus life, unable to comprehend how the students couldn’t follow the simplest of instructions or why the young woman in front of him was crying because she missed her cat while he still had bone fragments of his buddy lodged in his arm.

Ready to walk away, Lacroix instead wandered into the university’s Veterans Education and Transition Services, which had opened the semester before.

It was a move that may have saved his life.

“Honestly, the first day I walked in here, if someone would have said no to me or it’s going to have to wait, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I’d be in a gutter somewhere drinking away my disability every month.”

Taking advantage of his scholarship through the PTF, Lacroix helped the VETS center expand, working as the student director in a place where former military — from Vietnam War veterans to reservists who never saw action — could go to be away from the regular student population, among people like themselves.

An office that saw five veterans a day when it first opened, the VETS center now has 150 or so students filter through daily.

Lacroix plans to keep working at the VETS center while at UA, but has a bigger goal in mind: a former physical therapist aide, he’d like to work at a place where injured soldiers can have their physical and mental wounds healed at the same.

“Every time I got injured, it was always they’d treat body and they’d treat mind, but they’d never treat them both together,” said Lacroix, who’s majoring in psychology and plans to get his doctorate in physical therapy. “Your injuries come as a whole, so your treatment needs to come as a whole — and that’s what I want to do.”

This is just one of many articles across the internet where Lacroix talks about his many wounds and his actions under fire, only one problem…… He never deployed!

Lacroix was one of 59 Veterans awarded the Pat Tillman scholarship in 2010, the foundation has since pulled his scholarship after learning of his embellishment.

According to the article by Chad the foundation said:

“The Tillman Foundation canceled his scholarship earlier this year, citing “misleading and inaccurate” information in his application, and that statements he made about his service – that he served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was wounded three times there – are inconsistent with Army records.”

“The Pat Tillman Foundation holds all Tillman Military Scholars to the highest standards of integrity and academic excellence,” McCarthy said in a statement. “As a result, Mr. LaCroix’s scholarship was terminated.”

Lacroix was also the President of the University of Arizona’s Veterans Education and Transition Services (VETS) Office, but has since been replaced, because of his “sudden departure.”

Glen Lacroix, far left

The UAchapter of the Student Veterans of America, of which Lacroix was president, is named “Chapter of the Year” during the national organization‘s annual conference in Washington, D.C. in 2010.

According to Army HRC, contacted by Chad: “The Army has no record that Lacroix was ever deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq or that he received Purple Heart medals for any injuries, Gall said. A Purple Heart recommendation would be “one of the first things that the commanders put through” for a wounded soldier.

So no Purple Heart’s and no indications of any deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan, and he was assigned to a SF unit, but was not a Long Tabber as he claimed in some of the articles.

From Chad’s article:

“He told me that he served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a special operator,” said Ricardo Pereyda, another former president of the student veterans organization and former student director of the VETS office. “He said he was shot a couple of times and he was blown up.”

A 2011 Associated Press story featuring Lacroix includes similar descriptions of his service, and quotes him saying he met Tillman while both were serving in Afghanistan.

It’s not as if Lacroix’s service record with the Army was less than exemplary. Those records show that Lacroix spent more than 13 years as a soldier, serving almost six years as an infantryman, with duty in Korea and Kosovo, before training as a counterintelligence agent at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., from November 1997 to March 1998.

Awards records show that Lacroix earned Army Airborne and Air Assault badges. But while Lacroix served with a special forces unit, Gall said, he did not have the “tabs” associated with being a special forces operator.

“It’s not like he sat behind a desk,” he said. “We just don’t have any documentation” to indicate that he was wounded or served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

For eight-and-a-half years as a counterintelligence agent and trainer, until his discharge in January 2006, Lacroix served in a role the Army describes as responsible for conducting activities “to detect, identify, assess, counter, exploit and neutralize adversarial, foreign intelligence service and terrorist threats.”

“Looking at the things he did, (he was) rated really high as a trainer, an excellent teacher,” Gall said, “but I just don’t show him anywhere as being in combat or receiving a Purple Heart.”

Randle said he could not speak to Lacroix’s time in the service, only to the time he knew him at the university.

I agree, he had an exemplary record so why did he have to embellish it and destroy any and all credibility he had! I am sure he could have still accomplished all that he did without the “Heroic stories.”

Seems since this came out, Lacroix has gone into hiding. He would not respond to requests from Mr. Garland to get his side of the story, and others have also reached out to him to no avail.

We have sent an inquiry to our contact at Human Resources Command at Fort Knox concerning the three National Defense Service Medals. He assures us it shows on both his ERB and 214, so he is submitting inquiries higher to see how this is even possible. We will let you know when we hear back.

This is the only eligible periods for the NDSM and he has not been in since Vietnam, so something is fishy.

Korean War

June 27, 1950 – July 27, 1954

Vietnam War

January 1, 1961 – August 14, 1974

Persian Gulf War

August 2, 1990 – November 30, 1995

Global War on Terrorism

September 11, 2001 – present

UPDATE:

We have just spoken to our POC at the HRC at Fort Knox about the three National Defense Service Medals, here is his response:

“You are correct. According to our Awards and Decorations Branch SFC Lacroix
should have received two National Defense Service Medals and not three. Best
guess is the clerk typing up the discharge papers made a typo. SFC Lacroix’s
records are being updated to remove the 3rd award of the NDSM. Thank you for bringing this error to our attention.”

Had the same typo on mine, only it says two and I only rate one. Probably ought to get mine fixed. I think some clerks do it off the number of enlistments in wartime not realizing it only counts per war. Or maybe they didn’t drink enough coffee before the 1SG got ahold of them that morning. Dunno.

The only one I know that has three is GEN Dempsey. He got his first one for Viet Nam when he was at West Point (you can earn it in the service academies, but not ROTC), his second after 2Aug90 and his third after 11Sep01. Most people my age have 2, and you have to be around 60+ to have 3. No one has all 4 (Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, GWOT).

Also curious about 4 NCOPD ribbons as a SFC and the number of NATO ribbons. You get one NATO ribbon for EACH theater you deploy to…not the number of time you deploy to that theater. Looks to me like the S1 types at Fort Huachuca could use some retraining

If that were the case, he would not have disppeared and quit his post at the UA. And yes sometimes paperwork does get screwed up, but not to the point where whole deployments, Purple Hearts and Tabs disappear.

This^
Unfortunately, since 2001 there are too many “snipers” and “green berets” and “seals” around. I ETS’d in 2006 and since that’s the only type of vets I meet, I am starting to think there’s no such thing as a non combat arms MOS soldier who was honorably discharged after serving in GWOT period, they’re all snipers and/or operators…

I was a Combat Engineer that reclassed to Combat Service Support (Supply) and spent quite a bit of time outside the Hesco’s but if you ask my guys I was just another POG (even though I was better trained in spotting IED and markers then most of them). And I will tell you this, In Afghanistan it doesn’t truly matter what your MOS is if you have the drive to make a difference and the willingness to “Get after it” as my Squadron Commander would say. I spent 2 Deployments in the Stan and I took care of 400+ Airborne Cav guys (4-73 Cav, 82nd). I am not a sniper, I am not a Special Operator, I am not a Recon Scout. So there are some of us that are perfectly happy with what we have accomplished and find that the need to say we did more is ridiculous. So here is your first Combat Service Support guy that is not about being something other then the best damn soldier/NCO I could be in my MOS. And if you have never been a 92Y in country, you have never seen hard work. Logistically speaking it’s like shipping to the moon sometimes, but when you get it right it makes every mission possible. Without supply nothing on the battlefield gets accomplished. I retired last year as a Battalion S4 NCOIC in an Airborne CSSB and I worked harder, longer hours then I ever did as a grunt. Missions don’t stop when you get home, they get harder and more frequent.

I’ve got one of these in a class I’m in, claims SF and a couple of tours and talks a big game, all supposedly in a 5 year period.

I don’t understand it, I did a tour in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as an MP. No crazy stories, but I’ve never felt like I needed to make up anything. I did all the missions or crap details put in front of me, and I came home in one piece. Good enough for me.

Oh no we are out there but with all the hate we receive by being called pogs and not real soldiers we tend to not tell other vets that we are vets well at least I don’t…. I’m not embarrassed of my career or my time in the army I’m getting medically discharged due to injuries not from combat but when I talk about being in everyone expects that I was deployed and when I tell them no I have to explain why so I just don’t tell people I was every in …. I loved all 6 years of the army and was going to make it to 20 but got hurt so that could be why you don’t hear about people who didn’t deploy ….I don’t know just my opinion

We all meet them, and they annoy me… Considering I had the brief pleasure of working beside these guys (stateside) and they are some very rock solid men. Had a ranger in one of my college classes (verified) who kept smirking at a ranger poser the whole semester till we finished, then came in in uniform (he is now NG, Infantry). That was a fun day.

One of my hobbies is looking at my buddies ribbon racks and fixing obvious mistakes like missing good conduct medals, service medals, and the like. I have gotten really good at contacting the powers that be and getting their records updated.

A 214 could be missing Iraq or Afghanistan, it happened to one of my airmen, and he was too quick to sign it and bounce, and he had a 214 with no ICM even though he did 6 months in Iraq. The airman didn’t have the ICM, but he had his orders, he had his NATO orders, he had his travel vouchers (from the AF after they paid him), he had LES’s with hostile fire and family separation on it. Plenty of bread crumbs to send in to get a DD215 with the ICM on it.

I agree with Bulldog. If you were there. If you had an SF Tab, show me orders, travel vouchers, LES’s, SF School Cert. Show me something !?!

You state ” He never deployed!”, you may want to revise this to “He apparently never deployed during OEF/OIF/OND, as his ribbons and medals obviously show deployments. Those commenting that Glen did this for only personal gain show a glaring lack of knowledge on the subject. The man spent five years at the University helping build the most successful SVSO in the nation. If he lied about some of his history, that is indeed terrible. But as a community we should be looking at WHY he did and not attacking one of our own. He spent many hours working to prevent things such as suicides. Personally I know he was involved in no less than 3 talk downs of veterans attending the UA. As far as the quote from Nancy”You never lie about yourself”, that is the ideal situation. I have met more Scout Snipers and Recon members after I got out of the military than I think have ever processed through the military as a whole. We should be taking a look at the military “warrior” culture that forces veterans getting out to think less of themselves if they were admin or a cook and not infantry or special forces. What we are seeing is a symptom of the problem and ignoring the actual problem. Bottom line is Glen Lacroix is a veteran, and needs our help instead of our ostracization.

So according to you, it is ok for people to lie about their service in order to gain from it, as long as they are helping others? I applaud what he has done, but it does not change the fact that he lied on multiple platforms about his service, and about wounds and awards he received in the process. He was an NCO, “I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage.”-NCO Creed, and he compromised his integritym hence why his scholarship was pulled. And the definition of deployment is “To position (troops) in readiness for combat, as along a front or line. Or to place into an active Combat Zone.” He was not deployed to an active combat zone, Korea is a “Hard Ship” tour as well as Kosovo, and most do not consider those Combat Deployments in which the article is referencing.

A.) I never said it was ok to lie. B.) You mis-defined “deployment” you may want to revisit that. C.) You cannot receive AFEM or AFSM without service outside your required duties, ie you do not get it for a PCS to Korea. D.) Kosovo, we may be at a loss at how we define conflicts, as technically it was a NATO mission but there was US loss of life and exchanged gunfire/firefights. Are you one to define Vietnam as a conflict instead of war? Lessening what the soldiers did there? Did not think so. I am saying do not judge others on anything other than their mistakes. Keep up the good work on this site, just don’t misfire and go above the facts.

I agree with the admin, I’m afraid you are misrepresenting what an actual deployment is. He has nothing in his record to indicate a deployment to a combat zone. In the other article linked here the Army rep plainly states he has no records of deployments I’m his official file. If I tell someone I deployed, they automatically assume it is to a war zone, why do you think that is? They don’t assume I’m going to Hawaii.

Both the AFEM and AFSM can be awarded for service not covered under deployment to a combat zone such as OIF or OEF. This includes Operation Jump Start (a mission along the southern border of the USA) or Operation Unified Response in Haiti (earthquake detail) or Operation Secure Tomorrow (Haiti), or any other humanitarian aid involving NATO or friendly forces. These are examples of how this Veteran could have received those awards without truly DEPLOYING. Yes, he may have had a great service record, but he lied, and that is not in lines with the Army Values, the Soldier’s Creed or NCO Creed for that matter. Please review AR 600-8-22 for more info on how Soldier could qualify for the AFEM and AFSM. -SFC, US ARMY

Steven T… WOW!!! Are you so blind as to not see what a pos this guy is? I’m sure he’s your beer pong buddy at the school so you feel the need to defend him but try this on for size. As a result of Glen Lacroix’s selfish behavior someone who was telling the truth was unable to earn a Tillman scholarship. Someone who really could have used the money was left out to dry because this waste of a human being stole money from that more deserving veteran. I plan on applying for the Pat Tillman Scholarship in the Spring as I am currently being medically retired. I have a wife and two sons and am the sole bread winner of my family. I could really use any assistance out there that I may be eligible for and I can not measure how disappointed I would be if someone like Glen Lacroix robbed me of something that should be available to me.

It’s funny how when ever I meet another vet he always feels the need to tell me how much of a baddass he was. When I tell him that I’m just glad to be among the living and that I did nothing heroic, just my job to the best of my ability. That seems to work most of the time and we will mostly have a normal conversation after that. But some guys continue to try and impress and/or scare people out of asking pointed questions that would expose how completely full of shit they are. Tired of it. Spc. Haynes 173rd LRSD Tm.4 senior scout Iraq 05,’ LRSLC 4th RTB 04′, Sniper Employment Officer School US Army Sniper School Ft. Benning, GA. 04″

I served 14yrs in the Army and was deployed to Iraq 3 times—when I tell people about my time in the military, I am completely straight forward and honest with them. I don’t embellish upon that which I experienced, because 1. I have honor and integrity—thanks to the time I spent in the military. 2. Because I want folks to have faith and confidence in me. There is no need to lie about what we have done in order to bring others together—there was no need for him to embellish upon the already successful career he had. There was no need for it and it is truly a disgrace.

In my opinion, the solution is plain and simple, Some of you may agree with my suggestion and some might not.

Most who have served will probably agree, Glen LaCroix committed a pretty major error in judgement by repeatedly lying about his service record. He needs to face the music, by formally admitting his bad actions, apologize, promise to not repeat his sins and explain himself to his fellow veteran students at the University of Arizona. Maybe its not the lynching Party some expect but its a start.

As for those who continue to engage in similar activity…beware folks are watching and the outcome will not be pretty.

If your a veteran there is no need to embellish your record, you stood firm in the fire to protect your family and your country and that is something to be damn proud of. Why this man feels the need to lie I will never understand. Thank you all for your service and for your work exposing all the fakes!!

There is a REALLY good chance, when he ETSed, The Admin unit types up your DD214, from your 201 file. The admin clerk, (possible an E-4), could have type his DD214 wrong. Easy accident per say, if the clerk counted a SUB Course certificate for First Sergeants Course. (Just a thought).

I was just a private at the time but i thought one of my squad leaders saying he got a NDSM for the whole cold war era thing that ended in 1997 or 1996. Maybe thats his third, i dont know like i said i was a private in 98 so i dont really recall the full conversatiom to date.

For the Cold War there is the Cold War Recognition Certificate for those that served between Sept 2, 1945 and Dec 26, 1991. For the NDSM, there was Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Even though the fighting was over in 1991, the time period for the award was through Nov 30, 1995.

So Mike B you’re saying you can judge how much disability someone has by looking at them? I suppose you’re one of those people who yells at people parking in handicap spaces if they don’t look handicapped enough. It’s this sort of attitude that makes people they feel they have to embellish so they can meet the expectations of others. Ridiculous.

I do not want to sound rude, but I have to ask. I was in the Navy Seabees for 20 years so I know a little about military ribbons and medals, mainly of course Navy types. So my question is what is Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon (4 awards), it sounds like a give away ribbon? Good job on your research and correcting his National Defense Medal.

The AF and the Army have Ribbons that can be earned for completion of NCO Schools. The AF uses oak leaf clusters and the Army numbers for completing more than one.

The Naval Services (USN, USMC, USCG) do not allow any ribbon to be worn on their uniforms unless there is a Naval equivalent. So I could wear another service’s good conduct medal that I earned, but not a ribbon like the one above.

I understand that people in Naval services see them as excessive, but they are good for looking at someone and seeing their career progression.

One last note. In the AF, you only get the ribbon for going to the school in residence, not taking it via correspondence.

All this talk about medals, ribbons,wow. I understand we are alk the centers if iur own universe but… what ever happened to Americans going to meet a threat where ever the threat is, crushing it and coming home to a greatfull nation to love our families and gettting back to the thankles job of strengthening our country internally for the next generation? Every ine is a glory junkie. Career soldiers in the guard are the worst. I’d be wilking to bet 99.99 % of guys in uniform enjoy what everv status they do in the eyes of an uninformed public due the heroic actions of an elite group of combat arms soldiers that they were never a part of. Give it a rest already. If you were or still are a pogue thanks for the support. Now shut up and please stop wearing. your uniform to the mall to impress children. Embarrassed and tired of the posers. I’m living in a world populated by superficial cowards and no shows looking to cash in on on our countries misguided Viet Nem era guilt

The problem Steve, is the outrageous bullshit he spewed. He didn’t talk about SVSO in those sit downs. He talked about HIMSELF and how BADASS he was. Then he used that bullshit to get financial aide. And that he was personal friends of Pat Tillman. Yea, he screwed the pooch all right. And screwed over some other vets as well, now that he’s AWOL. Are you even a vet? Take a look at GySgt Robert Lawton’s case here or over at TAH (a quick google will pop him up as number one). Same thing – great career, deployments, drill instructor, volunteered at PI after retirement to assist familes who’s kids were in boot. Great guy. BUT – he made some outrageous lies and claims and was absolutely HAMMERED by our community. And that’s a shame, as he also did great things on him own. But it’s all for shit now. He’ll only be remembered now as the fat phoney poser who used to be a gunny.

Yes I am a vet. I was there in the beginning 2009 at the UA with Glen. I defended him initially b/c of what he did/was doing for our group at the University.

His inability to come forward and apologize to us, or even come up with an excuse left me flabbergasted. Also in those sit downs, he did indeed talk about the SVSO, most of the interviews were in fact on the SVSO. The fact of what gets published is usually tidbits of the interviews. Any of us there can tell you that he did have a self inflated sense, most of us just assumed it was bravado of beefing up a resume. None of use would think that the majority of the resume was a lie. To get where he was you had to have DD214’s and orders etc filed, a lot of times back then it was VA workstudies doing the filing, so your DD214s would have been seen by other vets. There was no reason for us to think he was lying.

Since he walked away from those of us who were willing to not only defend him for the good he did, but for being a good guy, I no longer have any defense left for him.

Just an FYI, he has since graduated with his master’s degree and moved out of AZ. Last known location 10/6/2014 was South Portland, ME. He has slowly started to resurface on Facebook (all claims were usually made in person, never on social networks really).

I have been reading this blog and tah for a good laugh at these self worshiping losers. I am laying in wrnmc and would just be happy to be home with my family and get these tubes out of me. I’m proud of my service and those that served with me. But what do you expect from a country that gives every kid a ribbon and awards medocrscy.

John. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I hope you are doing well in your quest to get better. Hopefully the tubes are out of you and you are back home with your family. If you are still in wrnmc I pray that you are making progress and will be home soon. I agree with your point that our country gives “every kid a ribbon”. Let it be known that your sacrifice was not in vain. There are still some of today’s youth who are aware of what you and your brothers and sisters in the Military do in service to our country and for our safety and security. Please don’t be concerned with the self worshiping losers. Your concern should be on getting better and caring for your family. I wish you a future full of improved health and happiness. May you reach every goal you set and more.

I served with this clown. Let me get this right you go to u of a. Tell people you hung out with pat Tillman. What a JACKASS. You were an Intell guy. If you needed ass that bad. Direct approach works wonders. In 10th group I thought Custer was the worst. You glen have taken the cake. And it looks like u ate the whole thing. Peteeboy out